Houston police capture man wanted in deadly crime spree

Houston Police on Tuesday captured Jose Gilberto Rodriguez, 46, for a series of attacks, including three deaths. Photo courtesy Houston Police/Twitter

July 17 (UPI) -- A man wanted in connection to three deaths in the Houston area was captured early Tuesday, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

The Houston Police Department had identified Jose Gilberto Rodriguez as a suspect in five attacks, three of which resulted in death.

He was arrested after a brief vehicle pursuit that ended in northwest Harris County, Gonzalez said in a tweet.

A tweet by Houston Police said other details were not immediately available about his arrest.

Rodriguez, a registered sex offender, is on parole and was fitted with an ankle monitor that police said he removed before the first attack.

Authorities said to scout possible victims and neighborhoods, Rodriguez knocked on doors pretending to be looking for someone. He is considered armed and dangerous.

The first attack on July 9 was a home-invasion where the victim survived. Four days later, Pamela Johnson, 62, was found dead inside her home in northwest Harris County and her car was stolen and found abandoned the next day at a shopping center.

The second and third deaths happened at two Houston mattress stores.

Police said the most recent attack occurred Monday when a transit driver was robbed and shot. He is expected to survive.